Hello everyone!! Lisa from Boondock Ramblings and I are back to watching and sharing about comfy cozy (and sometimes, chilling) movies for the fall season. Feel free to join in with us!!

This week our movie was The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, with an all star cast. I knew we were in for a treat after seeing this powerhouse of a lineup.

I mentioned the cast, but let’s take a closer look. Bill Nighy, whom I love in everything, Dame Judy Dench, Dame Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson, Celia Imrie, Penelope Wilton – but I will say that the other actors held there own, particularly Dev Patel. He is an award winner himself but just a young actor compared to some of his co-stars.

Anyway, we were really looking forward to this movie. It has been on my to watchlist for ages, but I just never had gotten around to it. When Lisa picked it for our line up, I was pretty excited. Billy and I made a thing of it too, ordering Indian takeout to eat before watching, and it was just a nice little treat to watch the movie with these flavors so fresh in our minds.

The movie is about a group of retirees who through various circumstances find themselves en route to India, to stay at the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, which has been touted as a place for the elderly and the beautiful. The website and brochure photos depict this hotel as a gorgeous vision of a hotel, that is also affordable for those who may be on a fixed income. However, the hotel is truly that – just a vision of the idealistic young man who runs it. It is there, there are rooms, but it is a bit of a shambles.

As I mentioned, the characters are all there for different reasons, and they all settle into the country very differently as well. Some go in with very preconceived ideas of the culture, some with hopes for finding things that were lost, some with hopes for the future, but all coming to terms with the stage of life they find themselves in. It was interesting to watch these characters come to terms with the transition they were in, finding their new place in the world, juxtaposed against the vivid liveliness of India. The music, the almost frenetic energy, the colors, the chatter and noise, the flavors of the food, was just so alive while these characters sorted through some very poignant emotions – and it was probably the best possible place to start a new life, in a place so overflowing with it.

I very much enjoyed this movie, and of course the cast. Dev Patel’s enthusiasm was contagious, and I truly believed in him. Maggie Smith was amazing, as always, and her character might have been my favorite of them all. I don’t want to go too into this sort of analyzation, as I don’t want to reveal anything or give anything away so I should stop here. However, Billy and I really liked this movie, and found it very moving. It was perfect for a warm early fall evening, with a bellyful of Indian food.

If you are interested in linking up with us, here is our linky! This movie is available to stream on Amazon Prime, Apple TV and Fandango at Home, and may be available at your local libraries!

https://fresh.inlinkz.com/js/widget/load.js?id=c0efdbe6b4add43dd7ef

Find Lisa’s post here!

Next up: Somewhere in Time! Post date Sept. 19.

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

This week’s prompt is Books that Provide a Much Needed Escape. At first I wanted to interpret this as just comfort reads, then I realized that sometimes I need different escapes; sometimes I need the warm hug of a familiar, much loved book, sometimes I need an all-consuming thriller, and sometimes I need the solace of a nonfiction nature read.

Let me start with my comfort books. These are beloved books to me, that I have read over and over for one reason or another. Watership Down is my all time favorite book, the Little House series is just one that I have read almost every since I was a child. At Home in Mitford is just such a feel good book, full of good people, and Barbara Michaels – I don’t know what it is about her books but I have read them so much that my copies are literally falling apart.

The thrillers section. This part is more about the author and less about the book. These authors can just write books that completely engross me! And lucky me, I still have so many to read still from their backlist!

And finally, those nonfiction nature reads. I haven’t reached for one in a while, and while researching this post I realized I miss them. I feel like this winter I may be cuddling up with a few that I haven’t read yet.

John Lewis-Stempel is one of my favorites. I have read Meadowland quite a few times, and once I spent a month reading it out loud to Billy and Wyatt after dinner. (Wyatt wasn’t as excited about this as we were) The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating – this is probably one of my most recommended books, I tell everyone to read it. It is very scientific and you will learn a lot about snails, but I also felt there was something so peaceful to be found in its pages. World of Wonders spoke to my heart. I too believe our world is full of wonders and we need to approach them all with that childlike joy we used to. Finally, Braiding Sweetgrass was just such a journey with Kimmerer. Her words and writings are so gorgeous, and I love that she reads her own books for audio. I have read this and listened to it both, and I love the audio just a bit more.

And that is it for me this week! I can’t wait to see everyone else’s choices!

Hi everyone! I am so excited about autumn, but if you read here regularly then you probably already know that.

I of course have a loose plan of books I would like to read this fall. I say loose because I am terrible at sticking to a plan of reading. I might want to read something but then absolutely dislike it when I start it. Or I might simply just change my mind. I like to make a list yet give myself the freedom to walk away from it too. The best of both worlds!

September

I feel like I am already behind!

October

This is where it gets messy. I went with more cozy witchy or cozy paranormal romance with one horror this October and there are just so many that I want to read! I do have quite a few middle grade on this list though, so maybe just maybe I can read them all?

November

I want to sort of segue from spooky fall to comfy fall in my reading in November.

I also have a list of bonus books which I am sure I won’t get to but would like to read during the fall. There are just way too many books out there and not enough time!

Are any of these books on your TBR?

My Sunday Post is hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer

Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date

Hello everyone! Last week was a bit nutty at first, but ended very well. We had a very slow start to school, and I am not even calling it our first week. It was more like a practice run, although we did do a little bit of school work.

Read Last Week:

I felt like these two were the perfect transition books from summer to fall and spooky season. I really loved Every Time I Go on Vacation Someone Dies. I thought the narrator was so chatty and fun, and I just really enjoyed it. Haunting License sort of dragged for me a bit, but it was still cute.

Reading This Week:

I am going to start both of these, and we will see if I finish them both. I am thinking, probably not, but here’s hoping!

Posted Last Week:

Hello September!

Top Ten Tuesday – Books About Food (but not Cookbooks)

Book Reviews – A Few Mini Book Reviews

Comfy Cozy Cinema – What We Did on Our Holiday

Friday Morning Coffee Catch Up

Watching and Listening:

We have been watching the American Ghosts tv show, as well as The Great British Pottery Throw Down. We of course also watched our movie for Comfy Cozy Cinema, What We Did on Our Holiday. Tonight we are watching this week’s movie, The Great Exotic Marigold Hotel. I am looking forward to it!

As for YouTubers, Wyatt and I have been watching Liv of Liv’s Library, and Forgotten Way Farms, who is back from a few month hiatus. We also watched Desi of Darling Desi and Dainty Diaries, who had some very sad news to share. Tonight we will watch Morgan Long’s newest. Or maybe Randi Lynn Reed. It will be a tough call! Wyatt calls all these YouTubers our book ladies, and he is not wrong.

Listening wise, we are never too adventurous anymore. We have our favorites and sort of stick with them, which is why I don’t mention music too often here. Lord Huron, The National Parks are usually playing in the background if we have music on., unless we are in the car, where we listen to country. Lol. I did make an Autumn Playlist, and we have been listening to that too.

And that is about it from around here! How are you all doing?

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

When I read this weeks prompt, books about food, the first thing that leapt to mind were all the picture books Wyatt and I have read that involve food. I love using meals and foods to teach Wyatt about different cultures and countries and even about different states.

We used these for school and enjoyed tasting different foods based on the books or the country. Now I miss doing this so I think I will try to include more of this sort of thing again this year!

In case you are interested here are the links to France and Italy.

Also these were some fun food books that we just read and enjoyed. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is an old favorite of mine, from my childhood that I loved sharing with Wyatt!

Have you read any of these?

My Sunday Post is hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer

Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a great week last week! I spent my week prepping for the start of the school year and trying to grab some fun times as well. It was a pretty good week!

Read Last Week:

This book was amazing. It kept me on the edge of my seat, never knowing which way the story was going to shift next. It had some folk horror vibes, which is one my favorite genres, and is perfect for this time of year – the end of summer heading into fall. I have only read two of Foley’s books but I need to read more. After reading this, I actually couldn’t read another book right after. Total book hangover! I do have some lined up though, which I think are just right for this time of year as well, as the summer comes to a close.

Reading Next Week:

Billy has a procedure Tuesday and I will be spending some time in the hospital waiting room, probably reading one of these two books. Or embroidering, because I can do that when I am anxious and I can’t usually read. So I guess I am just bringing everything with me!

Posted Last Week:

Top Ten Tuesday – Who Am I?

Thursday Morning Coffee Catch Up

Last Day of August – A Short Look Back at Summer

Watching:

Well, Billy and I finally finished all of the British Sewing Bee! We managed to finish just in time for fall. This week we watched the American version of Ghosts (we finished all of the UK version), and then last night we watched Scream. I loved that movie when it came out in the 90s – and I still love it. I had such a crush on Skeet Ulrich back then! Billy and I decided that aside from a few things that were a bit cringe ( I mean it is a horror movie so some is to be expected, but other storylines didn’t need to be there) this movie held up pretty well! I also had fun remembering all the 90s fashion! That shiny glossy lipstick look, the hair, the outfits, they took me back.

We also finished just in time for Comfy Cozy Cinema! Lisa from Boondock Ramblings and I started this last year and we welcome anyone to watch and post along with us. I will be watching the first movie on my list tonight, and we will be posting our thoughts on the movie on Thursday. Feel free to join us! In mid-September we are having a giveaway as well, for a Comfy Cozy Care Package, so check back around then to enter!

And that is it from my overly humid corner of Michigan – I wish you all a wonderful week!

Hello everyone!!

I feel like I have catapulted into a maelstrom of activity! It’s just that time of year, right now. A transitional time, full of change and preparing for that change. Summer is ending, and we feel compelled to get those last minute summer activities in under the wire. I am also over here prepping for the school year, getting things organized for the scouts, and completing some home projects as well. These are mainly for the ease of homeschooling, like straightening our art cabinet, organizing supplies, buying new supplies (especially paint.. we go through so much!) and then whatever else I think needs to be done.

Like Sunday, one of the hottest days of the year so far, I decided on a whim that I needed to repaint one of our bookshelves. It is in our room we have no name for (we eat there, craft there, school there..) and is always just a mess. It has also taken a beating over the years since Billy built it for me, with Wyatt drawing on it as a toddler, my cat Maggie (who is no longer with us and I still miss that silly girl) using it as a scratching post, my husband just clunking everything in his pockets down on it… anyways, it needed an overhaul. So I cleared it off, took it outside, and painted it. It was hot and sweaty work, and halfway through I made Wyatt go in and watch through the door so he was inside in the air conditioning, but I am so happy with how it turned out! Wyatt and I then added Billy’s little terrariums, his school books for the year, and a jar for Billy to store his things in when he comes home – along with some odds and ends as well, of course.

I managed to get paint everywhere – I guess I am where Wyatt gets that from! I had it on the bottom of my feet, in my hair, just everywhere. I am not a neat and tidy painter I guess.

I am hoping to get that darn room painted this early fall. I am so done with that purple, although pretty. It makes that room just feels so dreary and we spend so much time in it in the fall and winter. It’s on the list, but after a few things, mainly the wheelchair ramp and putting my office back to rights after the ramp project is done. I told Billy that I would do it but for some reason he told me that was not a great idea.

It’s also been a week of sifting through things. We moved the rest of my mom’s things out of the condo she was living in for a while finally, including the cedar chest that my dad gave to her before their wedding. It didn’t fit into her new apartment and my cousin was storing his parent’s things at the condo and we had my mom’s there as well (it was my aunt and uncle’s before they passed away, then my mom lived there for two years).. and I am rambling so I am shifting back to the cedar chest. Anyway, my brother is going to take it but first we removed all of my mom’s keepsakes from it, and we all exclaimed and shed some tears over things we found.

It was a time capsule of items. My grandfather’s citizenship papers from 1940, Wyatt’s christening outfit, my christening outfit, artwork that my brother made in school, the collar to my mom’s first dog ever, Buster. When I pulled that out my mom just burst into tears. Pets just hold such a place in our hearts forever, don’t they? I also found a swim medal of my grandfather’s from 1932,newspaper article with a photo of me on the first day of kindergarten, and my grandma’s shortbread recipe.

Last week I shared about Wyatt’s great week at therapy – well he is continuing his trend and my little guy killed it this week. He walked three times as far yesterday as he did last week. His therapist and I just looked at each other in amazement. She popped him in the gait trainer and he took off. He was cruising along at one point so quickly! He wanted to keep going but his body just didn’t let him. It was unbelievable honestly, and his therapist said for her it was a tearworthy moment as well. Next week, she is trying him back with a walker again, without the extra support. Please send all your support and and prayers and good vibes to this little guy! He is making huge brain/body connections right now, and making some huge gains. I am so proud of him, and even better, he is proud of himself.

I also cut my mom’s hair. It was getting so long and she hated it, but she is not doing well with her depression and anxiety right now, so would not go anywhere to get it done. I am hoping that cutting her hair helps a bit with getting her our of her apartment more. I think I did pretty ok for not being a beautician! My grandma was a beautician my whole life, and had her own little salon, Marion’s. I think she would have been proud of my efforts! My mom was happy with it as well.

All these changes and transitions. Restoring old things, Wyatt’s progress, moving my mom’s things, a new hair cut. And in the next weeks, school begins here in our homeschool, our cub scouts have their first meeting, Wyatt has a million appointments… then hopefully, the flurry of activity as things end and new things start up winds down into a gentle pattern of life. A slow down as we embrace the our new routines. It is already getting darker at night. I noticed last night as I was stitching that it was harder to see by my bedside light, because it was darker outside. I am going to have to do something about that, because I love stitching in bed as we watch our shows and I drink my tea.

And I need to end here. So much to do today, and I need to get to it. Before I go though, here are a few extra photos!

Have a good one everyone!

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Today’s Prompt: Posts I’ve Written That Give You the Best Glimpse of Me (Share the blog/Insta/Twitter posts or YouTube/TikTok videos you’ve made that showcase your personality the most and offer the clearest window into your personality. These are the posts you wish everyone would read!)

This week’s prompt had me scratching my head and furrowing my brow. I wasn’t sure exactly what it meant or what to do. Am I supposed to define myself by book posts? That might be tough, I am not consistent with book reviews really. Or is just posts in general? So.. I am just going for whatever here. So. I am including pictures I posted on Instagram, and pins I pinned on Pinterest as part of a collage (and a few books too), and then some links to a few posts.

Throughout the years I’ve blogged about so many things! If I go all the way back to my previous blogs (Cinnamon Owl and Quixotic Magpie) I talk more about my life pre-motherhood. My work as an animal rescue volunteer at a local shelter, about my jobs, about vacations and books and different events Billy and I went to.

Now, my life is slower paced in some ways, but also much busier, which sounds crazy but it is true. I am enjoying this new season of my life, staying at home with Wyatt, homeschooling, watching all the British things with Billy, our family adventures, our crafts and hobbies. We are snug here, and it is a cozy little life.

My first post was written one morning when Wyatt was little little, like a year old or so.

Little Things

This next post is all about how my love for British nature writing began and grew.

This journey began with a bear..

And this one – about our love for British cozy mysteries on television. This is when we first started watching. If I were to write this post now, it would be so much longer!

British Cozy Mysteries – TV

I love homeschooling Wyatt, and one of our favorite days is art day! It’s even more fun when we involve Billy. We have studied many different artists, from Van Gogh and Matisse to Gaudi and Hopper and just so many in between. But none were as happy as when we had a Bob Ross week. I just couldn’t leave him out!

Homeschool Journey: Happy Little Trees…

So many of my summers in Michigan involve going “up north” at some point. Except this one! We have been busy building Wyatt’s ramp so no up north trip this year. Good thing I have so many memories and blog posts to sustain me!

Up North Trip – Part 2

This year I have really loved reading old-fashioned children’s books. It was really comforting over the winter for some reason, and this is a post with a few little reviews.

Five Mini-Reviews of Old-Fashioned Children’s Books

It seems weird to leave these next two out, so I am going to include them. They are just little summary posts of our hobbies and pets – we have a very full house here!

In Our Hobbies Era

Our Animal Menagerie

The County Fair is a fair I have gone to ever since I was a little kid, and I try to get Wyatt there every year as well. I am not always successful, and looking back I realized it’s been two years since we have gone. I guess we better put it on the list for next summer!

A Morning at the Fair

and maybe another up north post just because.

Lighthouses, Lavender, and Ice Cream

I also made a collage of some things that feel like me, and some of my favorite photos as well.

I am looking forward to what everyone else did, because I really struggled with this one!

My Sunday Post is hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer

Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date

Hello everyone! I hope you are all doing well! We had a fairly busy week this week, but the best part of the week was Wyatt kicking butt at therapy! The weather this week was also cool which was amazing – fall was definitely in the air but then summer came back and said not quite yet, bringing back the heat.

Read Last Week:

I loved both of these books. Vera Wong was so cute and made me laugh (and even cry at one point) and I just adored it. Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop was also a very good book. It was more serious, and more thoughtful. I enjoyed it but at a much slower pace so that I could really think about what I was reading.

Reading This Week:

I needed something with a bit of a bite this week so I went with The Midnight Feast. I loved Lucy Foley’s The Hunting Party and I am looking forward to this one. Also, Wyatt has been really into graphic novels lately and I found myself picking some up for me as well. I loved the first Tea Dragon book so I figured I would finish the series and picked up books 2 and 3.

Posted Last Week:

Top Ten Tuesday – Characters I would like to have coffee and a chat with

Friday Morning Coffee Catch Up – Wyatt therapy updates here!

What Wyatt’s Reading

Watching and Listening:

We are so boring with this lately. But, we are getting ready to watch the first of our Comfy Cozy Cinema movies! Yay!! Last year Lisa from Boondock Ramblings and I watched movies and posted about them and we are doing that again this year. Most had cozy fall feels but nearer to Halloween we did throw some scarier ones in there, making a few weeks Comfy Cozy (Creepy) Cinema. We do that this year too. I am very excited to start our lineup; there are just so many good ones on the list! And like last year, feel free to watch along and post with us! We will post a linky this year. Oh and we are having a giveaway as well, in October for a fall type care package full of things you need to be cozy so watch for that too.

If you are interested, this is the lineup! The linky will be up on the posting date, which is the date listed here. It is coming up fast!

And this is it from around here this week! I hope you all are doing well!